Blade Dance
by MFP
Summary: Inigo's father is gone, and the only family he has left is his mother. But soon, he'll lose her too... Final Chapter is up!
1. Chapter 1

Lon'qu is dying.

His blood from his chest wound mixes with the mud and rain, his body getting cold and not responding to move, but his consciousness still functions as he watches the wounded Khan Basilio takes one last stand against Walhart the Conqueror before he is cut down.

Now that their small force is all dead and they failed to stall Walhart's advance, Lon'qu contemplates and realizes he has many regrets. He regrets following Basilio's command to come with him. He regrets to continue fighting as his attacks are just scratches upon Walhart. But what he truly regrets is not spending much time with his family.

His beautiful and wonderful wife, Olivia. She sacrificed her dream of owning a theater in exchange of becoming a full-time house-wife, but she still performs dances to the folks in their small village. He will miss her hugs, blushes, warm smile and eyes when she greets him; her mesmerizing dances and singing that soothes his lonely soul; and her unconditional love for him.

And their son, Inigo. How Lon'qu regrets never spending quality time with his son, never plays and teaches him his fighting techniques. Nor he could see him grow into a fine man.

He will never see his family again.

_'... So this is how it ends...'_ Lon'qu thought as his body is getting cold and tears mixing with the rain. _'... Olivia... Inigo... Forgive me... For leaving so soon...'_

With one last thought an image of his smiling wife and son, Lon'qu closes his eyes and breathes his last breath.

...

The simple cottage feels so cold, colder than the snow storm brewing outside, as Inigo is tightly hugged by his mother, Olivia. He is speechless, his mother weeps and her heart broken. This happened when they received a three-month old, devastating news: Lon'qu, husband to Olivia and father to Inigo, has fallen. Worse, his body cannot be retrieved while the war rages on.

Inigo wants to weep for his father, but no tears formed on his eyes. For him, Father is a stranger. Inigo only remembers that Father is always away due to his duty as champion of the Head and West Khan, Basilio. After long months or years of absence, Father would unexpectedly come home at night. He would put a hand on Inigo's head to ruffle his hair before going to bed. And by morning, his back facing them as he leaves again.

Mother always praises Father every time Inigo asks about him. How brave and kind he is. How strong and talented he is. And how he looks just like him, which Inigo doubts nor could imagine if what Mother said are true. All Inigo knows is Father is a stranger to him.

But now he has no father, and hearing and seeing his mother cry, Inigo breaks down at last. He hugs his mother and cries with her, crying for Lon'qu, whom they'll never see again.

* * *

><p><strong>Hi! This story is inspired from reading other stories, and my love for the Lon'qu and Olivia pairing. Quite disappointed that there's a few stories (5) about this couple, mostly were about Lon'qu and LissaCordelia (too mainstream, in my opinion.), and Olivia and Avatar/Chrom/OC. However, this story mainly focuses on Inigo, and my take on how he loses his parents.**

**I'm done writing this 6-chapter story. The other chapters will be posted soon, depending on my availability.**

**Hope you like this.**


	2. Chapter 2

After a week of mourning, Olivia leads Inigo to their backyard. She presents Inigo a wooden sword just for him, while she has her own.

Inigo looks up to Olivia wearing a questionable look. "Mother, what's this for?"

"A practice sword because I'm going to teach you some swordplay."

"Hm? Swordplay?" Inigo perks up. "We're gonna play? We're not gonna cry for Father anymore?"

Olivia chuckles. "Nope. Swordplay. You know, fighting some bad guys using a sword." Olivia falters but recovers quickly. "Like what your father does... And even when he's gone, he doesn't want us to keep on crying. Rather, he wants us to be strong. And he wants you to learn how to fight."

Inigo frowns. "But Mother, I want to learn dancing than fighting." He complains. "I want to be a dancer just like you."

"But it's for your own good. And your father wished it." Olivia reprimands. When she sees Inigo still doubtful, Olivia begins to think of a way to convince him. An idea comes to mind, so she leads Inigo on a bench and sits on it. "Inigo, have I told you I was almost kidnapped?"

"Kid napped? You mean someone like me who sleeps?"

"Huh? Oh, no. Not like that. Kidnap means being taken away by bad guys and never be seen again."

"Oh."

"Well, in my younger years, I finished a routine when some corrupt-"

"Corrupt?"

"A bad guy. This bad noble man tried to kidnap me but Khan Basilio stepped in and stopped the bad guy from his inten- Er, from kidnapping me. I'm forever grateful to Basilio and I decided to follow him. I followed his orders to spy-"

"Spy?"

"To see what the bad guys are up to without getting caught. But Khan Basilio said that what I'm doing is dangerous, and if I ever land into trouble, he suggests I learn how to defend myself. I was so helpless before and what Khan Basilio said made sense. I just can't rely on dancing, I have to learn how to defend myself and become strong. And that's why I want you to learn swordplay, so that if ever I'm not around, you can defend yourself."

"Really, Mother?"

"Mm-hm."

"Mmm... But I still want to be a dancer, Mother."

"Oh..." Olivia sounds disappointed. Then another idea came to her. "Okay. I'll teach you my dancing moves."

"You really going to teach me?" said the excited Inigo.

"Yeah. But you also need to learn swordplay. Deal?"

Inigo ponders about this deal. After a few seconds, he smiles. "Okay."

Olivia smiles widely. "Great!"

Inigo follows up a question. "How'd you learn to do swordplay, Mother?"

"Khan Basilio sent Lon'qu, your father, to teach me how to use a sword."

"Really?"

Olivia nods her head. "Yeah. Your father is... was, very famous because he's Khan Basilio's champion and a feared swordsman. You know what? I knew about him and see him beats anyone who challenges Khan Basilio in the arena, but I never talked to him."

Olivia starts blushing happily and eyes shining before she talks. "He's so amazing! He moves so swift like the wind and his fighting skills are powerful but graceful to look at! And every time he's declared the winner, he looks so strong, humble, and handsome! Oh, he's so admirable! The more I watch him fight and win, the more I like him! I really like to meet him, but I'm so shy and I thought he doesn't like girls, so I never did. I got the chance to meet him when he became my teacher. I'm still so shy around him, I keep my distance. I'm so glad that he didn't find my keeping away from him rude... Ah!"

Olivia blushes in embarrassment when she realized she was rambling. "Anyway, Lon'qu taught me how to properly use the sword." Olivia stands in front of Inigo. "Now, I'm going to show you the basics."

Olivia holds her practice sword in front of her and posed. After that, she performs some basic moves, while explaining to Inigo what they are such as slashes, thrusts, defenses, and parries. Finished showing Inigo the basics, she encourages him to practice and imitate the moves she did.

"Very good, Inigo. You have talent and you're a fast learner." praised Olivia after teaching Inigo the basic moves by minutes.

Inigo blushes and smiles at Olivia. "Thanks, Mother."

"Next, I'm going to show you some of your father's moves."

"I thought we're done."

"Oh, no. That was just the basics. This next lesson is about doing combos and follow-up attacks." an idea comes to her again. "Learning how to fight is also like learning how to dance. First, you learn the basics before learning the other complicated, I mean, the very hard moves."

What Olivia explained made Inigo interested. "Really?"

"Uh-huh." Olivia nods her head. "And you know what? You're still a little boy, but I can see you have your father's strength and power in you. Today, I want you to put your strength and power in our next lesson."

"Okay... And then after this, we learn dancing?"

"Er, that depends on the lesson and how you do the fighting moves."

They continued the lessons. Olivia shows Inigo the moves, and tells him to put force when it's his turn to perform. Inigo never fails to follow Olivia's instructions, performing every move successfully. As the lesson progresses, both mother and son performs the fighting moves in synchronization. By noon, they stopped to eat before resuming. And by dusk, they stopped.

Inigo happily looks up to Olivia. "Wow, Mother. You're right. Fighting is also like dancing!"

Olivia smiles down at Inigo. "I know right. But your father's moves suits you more."

"Was that all of Father's moves?"

"Nope. It's not. What I taught you were the simple ones. Lon'qu's other moves were harder and I can't keep up, so he focused on teaching me the the simple ones. He also encouraged me to develop my own style as long as I know the basics. He also said that if can't parry quickly, I have to compensate it by dodging."

"Compensate? Dodging?"

"Dodge, dodging. You use your speed to quickly avoid an attack so that you won't get hurt." Olivia answers the second question because she finds the first question difficult to explain to a boy.

Inigo is not bothered that his first question is not answered, though. "Oh."

"Also, it's very important to use your speed to hurt the bad guy first. That's what Lon'qu always do. With his speed, he attacks first and dodges quickly when the bad guy retaliated."

"Retaliated?"

"When the bad guy attacks, too."

"Oh. Okay... Can you also show me your own fighting style?"

"Tomorrow. Even if you already know the basics and other moves, it's still very important that you keep on training to polish- Er, to improve- To always remember and never forget it."

"Hm?"

"What I'm trying to say is, you need to keep on practicing today's lessons everyday before learning a new one. Remember, the basics are, and will always be, very important. And that also applies in dancing."

"Oh. Okay. Mother, will you teach me dancing now?"

"After dinner. Okay?"

"Okay."

"C'mon. Let's go inside now."

As Inigo holds Olivia's hand, he spots someone coming to them. He looks at Olivia. "Mother, someone's coming here."

Olivia already sees the visitor. She recognizes that it's one of the elder leaders of the village. "Hello, Elder." she kindly greets the Elder.

"Ah, Olivia. I'm so glad you stopped mourning and see you smile again."

Olivia gives the Elder a sad smile. "I still grieve for Lon'qu, Elder. But I have to stop and be strong not only for Lon'qu's sake, but for me and Inigo, too."

"Ah, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to insinuate you're not grieving anymore." the Elder humbly apologizes.

Olivia gives the Elder an assuring smile. "Don't worry. I understand what you mean."

"Ah, I'm glad." the Elder then turns to Inigo. "Hello, son. How are you doing?"

Inigo blushes and hides behind Olivia, making her and the Elder chuckle.

Olivia asks. "What brings you here, Elder?"

"Ah, yes. You see, some of the families here lost love ones back in Valm, too. The council thought that we could cheer them by asking you to perform your dances."

Olivia blushes in embarrassment. "What? I-In front of many people? Oh, but-"

"Of course." the Elder said, not noticing Olivia's discomfort. "Only your dances can have a positive effect among these families. They know you also lost you husband and when they see you perform, they might move on like you."

Olivia's embarrassment starts to wane and compassion rises. "Oh, those poor families... Elder, I'll do it."

"Splendid! I'll tell the council then. By nine, your performance will start. Good day."


	3. Chapter 3

Olivia is hiding behind the curtain, peeking at the whispering crowd gathered in front of the stage.

"Ohh. What was I thinking? Agreeing to dance in front of these people? Sheesh. This is so embarrassing!" by the illumination of the lights placed at the sides of the stage, Olivia's eyes landed on Inigo, who's sitting in front. He's fidgeting in his seat and keeps looking down to avoid conversing and making eye-contact with his seat mates.

Just seeing her shy son makes Olivia's resolve stronger. "I can't let my stage-fright overcome me. I have to do this! I'm going to do this for you, Inigo." and she looks down at the unsheathed killer edge she holds. "For you, Lon'qu..." she blinks repeatedly to avoid spilling her tears. A sniff, then inhales and exhales. With a determined look, she passes through the curtain and stands on the stage.

When the crowd started to applause, Inigo knew Mother appears on stage. Quickly, he looks up. There's his mother, Olivia, blushing and smiling at the crowd. _'Mother looks so beautiful.' _Inigo thought. _'But why she's having a sword? She said she's going to perform a surprise and special dance, not a swordplay.'_

When the crowd stopped applauding, Olivia starts her address. "Good evening, everyone. Before I start my performance, I want to give my condolences... I understand your grief, your loss. Because I also lost someone I love, too." she looks down before looking at the crowd again. "But we need to continue living. To be strong." she smiles and wears a look of determination. "And I know they want us not to be sad anymore. And for them, we'll stay strong, and be happy!"

The crowd applauses, touched and pleased by what Olivia said. And Inigo, too, was moved of what his mother said. When the applause dies down, Olivia continues. "And this dance tonight, I dedicate it to all of us, to our lost loved ones." Olivia looks at Inigo with love before facing the crowd again. "To my husband, Lon'qu." she gives the musicians the signal to start playing.

When a strong and sharp beat of the drum sounded, Olivia promptly did a stance by putting her feet together, elbows raised sideways, sword held with two hands in front of her, the blade pointing upwards, and eyes are close. Another beat of the drum, Olivia promptly changes stance. Eyes still close, she moved the sword sideways, the sword's handle is near her cheek, blade now pointing towards the crowd, left leg moved forward, right knee bends sideways.

Olivia remains still as the soft beating of drums are accompanied with whistling flutes. When the music pauses, that's the time Olivia opens her eyes. And as the music becomes lively, Olivia moves in with the rhythm.

Olivia slashes the air, then turns her body as she balances on one leg, the other is raised and helps her to spin while her arms spread out, her right hand still holding the sword. After her first spin, she jumps and spins fast and before she ends, she holds the sword with both hands and did a vertical slash as she landed. Then she rolls forward, stands to twist and slashes the air. She repeats her twist and slashes the air before changing her moves.

The mesmerized crowd watches in awe as Olivia twirls the sword like a baton, tossing the sword and catching it by the handle in midair, swaying her hips and moving her arms and legs with grace. To Inigo, she's the most wonderful dancer and mother of the whole world. His admiring eyes follows her every move, seeing her genius and love when she combined swordplay and dancing.

Olivia continues to enchant the crowd with her dance. Twists and turns, spins and flips, expressive moves of limbs and fingers, sash flows along with her moves, and the sword she wields moves along with her dance in grace and deadliness.

To end her dance, Olivia jumps in the air and did another somersault. Like she is suspended in the air and her position is upside-down, she holds the sword close to her and spins fast like a top. Then she landed, her sash follows behind. And timely stands up gracefully, with her free hand down and the sword raised above her, when the music ends, and bows her head to the crowd.

The crowd and Inigo stands up, cheering and applauding Olivia's breath-taking and inspiring dance. The blushing and happy Olivia thanked everyone. Her smile widens when her eyes landed on Inigo. She goes downstage to meet Inigo. But that's also the time the crowd converges on her, thanking and telling her how wonderful her dance is. Olivia graciously thanks and gives encouragements to her well-wishers as she looks for Inigo. She saw Inigo and before she knows it, Inigo quickly runs and hugs her hips tight. Olivia bends her knees so that she could hug back Inigo.

Blushing, Inigo pleads. "Mother, can we go home now, please?"

Olivia hugs him and gives him a smile. "Okay."

Inigo smiles back before burrowing his face on her neck, trying to hide from the crowd.

"Inigo, I can't breathe. And you're too heavy for me to carry."

"Sorry, Mother." Inigo loosens his arms. "Can we go now, please?"

Olivia nodded. She stands up and grabs Inigo's hand, and tells everyone goodnight. Giving Olivia final praise, the crowd disperses to return to their homes.

...

"Mother, you're so beautiful and wonderful back there!" Inigo praises after they reached home. "And putting dancing and swordplay together, that was genius!"

Olivia blushes. "Thanks. I'm glad you liked it."

"No, Mother. I loved it! Did you make that dance for Father? Does it have a name? Will you teach me? When are you going to teach me?"

"Slow down, Inigo." Olivia said and chuckles. "I made the dance for you and Father. And of course, I'll teach it to you."

"Do you mean everything you said back there, too?"

"Hm? Oh, yes. I do... Lon'qu would never want us to be sad. He wants us to be happy and move on. And I want you to be brave and put a smile because not everyone can be happy, to move on. Just like what we're doing right now." replied Olivia as she gives Inigo a warm smile.

Inigo smiles back too. "Mother, do you have a name for it?"

"Name for it? You mean the dance? Well, no. But I'll think of a name for it. Hmm..."

"I know! I know! How about 'Blade Dance'? I think it's a good name. What do you say, Mother?"

" 'Blade Dance'... Yeah, it does sound good. Blade Dance it is. Very good, Inigo."

Inigo laughs then yawns. Olivia chuckles. "I think it's past your bedtime. C'mon, let's sleep."

"But I still want to learn..." sleepy Inigo said.

"Tomorrow in the afternoon, okay?"

"Okay."

Olivia leads Inigo to his room, tucks him in bed, and kisses his forehead. After greeting each other goodnight, Olivia gently closes the door and left.


	4. Chapter 4

For seven months after receiving the news of Lon'qu's death, Olivia keeps on teaching Inigo swordplay and dance routines. Then five months later, they received news of the war ending with Walhart's defeat. With this news, Olivia hopes that Lon'qu's body will be brought home so she could give him a proper burial. For now, she focuses on Inigo's training.

One day, unexpected guests arrive in Olivia's home. Olivia is teaching Inigo a new dancing move when a loud cry of a beast sounded from the skies. Mother and son looks at the direction of where the sound came from. They saw a wyvern flying towards them. Olivia is about to instruct Inigo to hide when a familiar, flirtatious voice calls out. Looking back at the wyvern, Olivia could see two riders. The first rider is a woman with flowing red hair, while the second behind the first rider is the familiar pale-lavender haired Virion.

"Is that who I think it is? My! It is the lovely Olivia!" Virion calls out as he waved his hand. Whatever he is about to say next is lost when the wyvern cries again.

Olivia and Inigo remained in their place as the wyvern landed. Virion jumps off, followed by his red-haired female companion.

Virion approaches and gives Olivia his best smile. After a dramatic bow, he starts to speak. "Olivia, my dear. It's been so long since we've met. And my, you still look so radiant like the sun that rises to greet the morning."

Olivia blushes. "Hee hee. You're flattering me. And you've never changed."

"Of course. I am still the wonderful and best archer among all archers! But you, you remain beautiful like a lily on a valley, a star that guides lost voyagers, a-"

His smiling companion interrupts. "Love, don't forget our purpose."

Virion slightly stiffens in nervousness before returning to his old self. "Oh, yes, yes. Fear not, I have not forgotten, love. But first... Olivia, may I present to you the most beautiful and loving woman, my wife, Cherche. Cherche, this here is the most wonderful dancer, Olivia."

Olivia smiles at Cherche. "It's nice to meet you, Cherche."

Cherche smiles back. "Same here, Olivia."

Virion speaks up. "Everyone from the Shepherds send their regards. The great tactician, Robin; the bright and joyful, Lissa; the tough and strong woman, Sully; the most intellectual genius, Miriel; the -"

"Love..." Cherche said with a smile. Just that one word that sounds like a threat made Virion shut up. Cherche chuckles and she spots Inigo, who is peeking behind Olivia's skirt. "Your son?" she asks Olivia.

"Yes." Olivia answers proudly. "His name's Inigo."

Virion smiles. "Really?" he looks at Inigo. "Hello, Inigo."

Inigo didn't greet back, rather, he hides behind Olivia. Virion and Cherche chuckle.

"He's just like our Gerome, dear." said Cherche to Virion before facing Olivia. "Our son is also shy when it comes to strangers."

"Really? Where is he?" asks Olivia.

Virion answers. "With the war going on back in our homeland, we decided to leave him in Ylisse."

Cherche nods in agreement. "Yes. We thought he'll be safe there. And maybe overcome his shyness."

"Last I saw him, he was befriended by Lucina." Virion proudly said.

Olivia tilts her head. "Who's Lucina?"

"She's Chrom's and Robin's daughter."

"Oh. That's nice."

The wyvern cries. Cherche turns to look at the wyvern. "What is it, Minerva?" the wyvern cries again. "Oh, you're right." Cherche turns back to Olivia. "We're sorry, but we can't stay long."

The smiling Virion becomes serious. "Indeed. Not only we've come to see you, but to tell you that Exalt Chrom will meet the new king of Plegia. Another thing. With Khan Basilio gone and Khan Flavia will accompany the Exalt, bandits will boldly attack villages. So you need to be careful."

Olivia nods her head. "Okay... Oh, have you... Have the soldiers retrieved Khan Basilio's body... And Lon'qu's?"

Virion sadly shakes his head. "No. There was no time to get the bodies of the fallen. I'm sorry, Olivia."

Olivia gives Virion a sad smile. "I understand. Thanks for the news."

"The others send their regards... And condolences, too."

"Okay. Please give them my thanks."

After waving goodbye to Virion and Cherche, Olivia cheerfully faces Inigo. "I think we need to go to the village and buy food. C'mon, let's prepare."

Inigo just nods his head and remained silent. It never escapes his notice that Mother is sad because Father's body will never be brought here, hiding her sadness behind a smile, and going to the village is an excuse to cheer themselves.

...

Olivia bought some vegetables she needed to cook for their meal. She takes out her list to check if there's something she missed, but a gale blows the paper from her hand.

"I'll get it!" said Inigo and chases the flying list.

Olivia stays where she's standing and watches Inigo trying to catch the paper. When the paper stops flying and lands on the ground, Inigo picks it up. Happy that the paper is in his hands, Inigo runs back to Olivia. It so happens that he crossed paths with two mothers. The mothers recognize Olivia's son and they stop him to speak with him. Inigo stiffens, blushing with shyness, and runs towards Olivia.

"Mother!" Inigo cries as he hugs Olivia tightly. "Let's go home now, please?"

Olivia sympathizes with Inigo. "Okay."

...

Gentle snow falls from the dimly lit sky, covering the road and flower fields in all pristine white. But the flowers of color deep blue and pink struggles to stay alive, peaking through the blanket of snow that covered them, watching Mother and Son walking towards their isolated home.

Inigo looks up at Olivia. "Mother, I wish I'm not so shy so I can talk with people."

Seeing Inigo's sad face melts Olivia's heart. "I know how you feel because I'm also shy around people, too."

"You can still talk with others and you dance for them. Me? I always keep quiet and run to you. What can I do to stop being shy, Mother?"

"... I don't know. I wish I can make your father a good example. He can talk with the others but he's shy around girls. *sigh* We are such a shy family. Sometimes, I wish we have that great confidence of Virion's-" an idea comes through her that might help Inigo. "Inigo, I think I know the solution!"

"What is it, Mother?"

"Try talking with girls."

"W-What?"

"Talk to girls. Remember Virion? He's so confident because he can talk to girls."

"Hmm... I don't know..."

"All you do is bravely walk to a girl, give praises, tell them they look like a flower, a buttercup, whatever... Just copy how Virion did it. Tomorrow, let's give it a shot. Don't worry, I'll be nearby to cheer for you. What do you say?"

Inigo is still thinking about it. He looks up and nods his head. "Okay. But you better be near."

Olivia laughs. "Sure."


	5. Chapter 5

From weeks turned months. Within those months, news about Chrom's death reached the village where Olivia and Inigo stay. Olivia was shocked about this news.

_'This can't be real. It's impossible.'_ Olivia thought. '_Exalt Chrom can't be beaten like that, especially if Robin's with him... Robin's the greatest tactician I've ever known. How could she fail? What happened? How could everything go wrong?_

Olivia can't answer her questions. So does Virion and Cherche when they visited her again. Olivia was shocked to see the couple look weary and sad. Especially Virion. The charming, noble rogue is gone, replaced by a serious man who is angry at the world. Seeing a changed Virion made Inigo nervous and he decided to stay in his room.

Virion shakes his head. "... When Robin refused to accept to become Grima's vessel, she and Exalt Chrom were surrounded with a magic barrier created by Validar. Even with my sharp eyes, I could not see through the barrier. Nor I dare charge through it when a fight for survival is happening..."

When Virion never continued, Cherche did it for him. "After the barrier vanished... We saw Exalt Chrom lying on the ground, while Robin was on her knees and her head on the ground. Both are not moving... Virion then told Frederick to command everyone to retreat."

"It was a wrong decision." Virion as he controlled his anger. "I should have said to retrieve their bodies before retreating."

Cherche looks at her husband with disapproval. "No, it's not. You knew the battle is lost and trying to take their bodies will result to more casualties."

But Virion refuses to be comforted with her words, even though she's right. "Yet it is still wrong. And Plegia insulted Ylisse by sending the Falchion back, but not the bodies of Chrom and Robin." Virion stands up. "I'm sorry for insulting your hospitality with my foul mood, Olivia. It's better if we leave right away... We need to go back to Rosanne, attend to my subjects before helping Ylisse."

Olivia is surprised of Virion's sudden burst and decision. "O-okay... But what of your son?"

"Lucina needs a friend to help her. Among the other children, Gerome is a better companion."

Before the couple left, Virion turned to Olivia. "Remember our warnings. Be careful. Bandits are getting bolder even with the threat of Risen attacks."

As Olivia watches them fly away, she can't help but worry about the latest threat, about the dead walking again called Risen.

...

"Mother! C'mon! Let's hurry!" said a merry and excited Inigo as he pulls Olivia's hand. "I can't wait to meet the others!"

Olivia laughs. "Okay, okay. Can't you see I'm trying to hurry?" For a year, Olivia's advice to Inigo was successful. From his first success, Inigo continued to talk with any girl he meets. She's so happy and proud to see her shy boy filled with confidence now. Lon'qu would also be proud, if only he's here to see his son right now...

"Mother!" Inigo interrupts Olivia's musings. "Look, girls!" he adds as he pointed at a small group of mothers with their daughters. Inigo hurries his steps, with Olivia in tow.

Reaching the group, Inigo puts up a brave front before greeting them. "Hello! It's a fine day, but finer still when such beauties are present." The girls giggle and the mothers chuckle, pleased to be praised by a young boy.

One of the mothers faces Olivia. "Olivia, your son is such a sweet boy."

Olivia blushes with pleasure. "Thank you."

Another mother speaks to her. "My daughter and I watched your performances and they're so beautiful! You inspired my little girl to become a dancer. Can you give us a performance, even a little?"

Olivia is taken by surprise of the request. "H-huh? Now?" she blushes in embarrassment and turns her eyes away. "Oh, but I'm not prepared. And maybe I'll just flail my arms and skip..."

The little girl pleads. "Can you show us a dance, please?"

The other mothers and daughters began pleading to Olivia to give them a dance. Inigo, too, wanted Olivia to dance. "Mother, please dance. I want to see you dance!"

Olivia continues to blush. "Ohhh... But. This is so embarrassing! Ohh!" she goes behind Inigo, acting like a child hiding from prying eyes.

Inigo is blushing with embarrassment, too. "Mother! You're embarrassing both of us!"

"Why don't you dance for them, Inigo?"

"What? Me!? Dance in front of them!? But Mother, you're the dancer. And they want you to dance."

"But I taught you most of my dances. You can perform them."

"Mother-"

Screams interrupt Inigo. Olivia, Inigo, and the small group look where the shouts came from. They could see people running and screaming. One man came to them. "Run for your lives! Bandits!" he said before leaving. The mothers started to grab their daughters and flee for their lives.

Olivia, too, grabs Inigo's hand and flees. She passes through alley ways while avoiding danger, until she finds the path that leads home. She is about to run to it when two bandits block her way. The first bandit wields an axe, the second an iron sword. With mother's instinct, Olivia puts Inigo behind her and bravely faces the bandits.

The bandit holding a sword chuckles. "Well, well. Look what we got here. What a pretty little filly. How about we have a little fun? Don't worry, the boy can stay behind and watch."

His companion snickers. "Yeah. If you don't obey, we'll kill the boy."

The bandit made the mistake of threatening to kill Inigo. The uneasiness Olivia feels vanishes. "Don't you dare harm my son!" she said in an angry tone. She finds a tree branch near her foot and picks it up. Holding the end of the branch with two hands, she puts it in front of her like a sword. "Inigo." she said without removing her eyes from the bandits. "I want you to find a safe place to hide."

"But, Mother..."

"Don't worry. I'll be okay. Just go, Inigo."

"... Be careful, Mother." Inigo finds an empty stall and quickly goes to it. After going behind the stall, he takes a peak to check on Olivia. He sees she remains as she is, ready for combat. Inigo keeps on worrying for his mother. Mother is delicate, kind, and gentle, not meant for fighting bad guys like today. Also, she's using a tree branch, not a sword. But seeing how serious Mother looks and knowing how quick she is, Inigo puts his hopes that she'll win and be safe.

Olivia conditions her mind and body to stay alert and be ready. She studies the bandits as they slowly close in and encircle her. She knew she's at a disadvantage, but as what Lon'qu taught her, she must use her speed to dodge and initiate an attack. The bandit holding a sword is on her right, and she could feel the second bandit is behind her. And she feels the motion of the bandit behind her moving to strike her down. Before the axe lands, Olivia sidesteps, twists her body, spins, and smacks the bandit on his back before facing the bandits again. As the bandit staggers, his companion attacks. He's too slow and Olivia dodges his attack, then retaliates by striking his face twice before retreating.

The bandits grit their teeth in pain. They look and nod at each other before facing Olivia again. Together, they raise their weapons and charge at Olivia. Olivia waits for them to attack. Again, she dodges their attacks by side-stepping the bandit wielding the sword. Then she brings down her tree branch, striking the bandit's hands. The bandit yelps in pain and drops his sword. Quickly, Olivia picks it up before keeping her distance and throwing away the tree branch. Now she has a decent weapon.

Olivia never lets her guard down. She continues to pose a battle stance. She looks determined, but at the same time, bothered. "You guys better leave this place. If you don't, I-I'll be forced to kill, even if I don't want to."

The bandits are troubled because they can't land a blow on Olivia. The disarmed bandit thinks about what she said. He decides she's not easy to kill and he doesn't have a weapon, so he slowly retreats. His companion, however, is determined to kill Olivia. He charges at her.

Olivia has no choice. The bandit raises his arms and readies to bring down his axe, Olivia quickly moves in for the kill by slicing open his belly. The bandit drops on his knees before lying flat on his face. Witnessing his companion fall, the other bandit runs away.

Olivia looks at the fallen bandit. She sniffs, then, "I'm sorry!" she cries.

Inigo watched the whole thing. He can't believe Mother actually killed a man. But he reasoned that she has to do it or both of them will be in trouble. Inigo leaves his hiding place and runs to Olivia. "Mother!" he calls out.

Olivia looks at Inigo, drops the sword she's holding, and opens her arms. Mother and son hug each other.

"Mother!" Inigo looks at Olivia with shining eyes. "You're alright! And wow! You're amazing! Not only you can dance, you can fight, too!"

Olivia gives Inigo a watery smile. "Y-You think so?"

Inigo nods. "Uh-huh."

"Oh, thanks." Olivia wears a worried look. "But, you shouldn't have seen what I did." she looks at the dead bandit and sniffs before facing Inigo again. "I really feel bad killing anyone. Lon'qu would keep on reminding me that it's either to kill or be killed, especially in war." she becomes serious. "But if anyone will ever hurt you, I'll gladly do it again." she hugs him again.

They separate when some armed male villagers come to them. Learning that Olivia killed in self-defense, they told her to return home and recuperate. Olivia is grateful and holds Inigo's hand as they walk towards home.

...

After the bandit incident, things are not the same again. Day and night, the male villagers roam the streets and borders. Olivia continues Inigo's schooling and training, and at the same time, dance to earn a living.

As the years passed, Inigo learns all of Olivia's fighting style and most of her dancing routines. But the uneventful happened...

One late afternoon, Olivia is about to teach Inigo the final steps when she notices black smoke coming from the village.

"Mother, what do you think is happening?" Inigo asks as he also notices the smoke.

"I think the village is under attack." she goes to a cupboard, takes out a killer edge, and goes to the front door. She notices that Inigo is following her, so she faces him. "Inigo, I'm going to help the villagers."

"I'll come with you, Mother."

"No. You stay here." Olivia firmly said.

Inigo worries. "But, Mother. I want to help you. I can fight. Let me come with you."

"No. You're still too young to fight. And knowing you're safe makes me feel at ease. Don't worry, I'll be okay. After this, we'll continue our lesson, okay?"

Still worried, Inigo slowly nods his head. "Okay."

"Good. Oh, wait." she goes back to the cupboard, takes out another killer edge, and gives it to Inigo. "Take this in case bad guys come here. Remember the hiding places I showed you. If bad guys found you, you run first before you fight. Okay?"

"... Okay."

Olivia kisses Inigo's forehead and gives him a gentle smile. "Keep safe, Inigo. Remember, I love you." she stands up and opens the door.

Inigo stays where he stands, watching with worried and wide eyes. "Be careful, Mother!" he said.

Olivia looks at him and gives a reassuring smile. After that, she turns her back to him and closes the door behind her.

To Inigo, what Mother did just now is like what Father did when he leaves.

...

Olivia arrives in the village to see some houses burning, some villagers running for their lives and fending off bandits with strange skin color. A bandit charges at her. Olivia unsheathed her sword and stabs the bandit in the stomach. After killing the bandit that turned into smoke, she realized Risens have come to attack the village. Without wondering how they came, Olivia continues to fight.

The battle lasted for two hours. Olivia looks on as surviving villagers gather dead villagers. She's tired from the fighting, but at least the village is safe again. She has nothing to do here, she better go back home and check on Inigo.

As Olivia turns her back, she never notices a Risen notches his arrow and points it at her. A few villagers see this and start shouting warnings at Olivia. Puzzled, Olivia turns just in time to see the arrow flying towards her. Too tired to react fast, Olivia could do is watch in horror as the arrow pierces her heart.

_'Inigo...'_ Olivia closes her eyes and gently falls like a pink orchid that detaches from its stem, coloring the snow-covered ground with her life.

...

"What's keeping Mother so long?" wonders Inigo as he continues to sit on a chair and checking outside the window that faces the village. No bandits arrive at the house, so Inigo didn't hide, but he holds the killer edge close to him with confidence of his fighting skills. He keeps on worrying for Mother. It's almost dusk and the black smoke is long gone, still she hasn't come home yet.

His nervousness also makes him thirsty. He gets down from his seat, passes the small dining hall, and goes to the kitchen. After quenching his thirst, Inigo goes back to resume his vigil. But a gentle knock sounded at the front door.

Thinking it's Mother, the excited Inigo hurries. Reaching the door, he quickly opens it. "Mother!" he happily greets. His happy face turns into surprise when he sees that it's not Olivia standing in front of him. It's the Elder who visited before, and with him are two young men. And they look sorrowful.

Confused, Inigo searches for Olivia but he didn't find her. He faces the Elder. "Hello, Elder. What are you doing here? And is Mother with you?" he asks. "She should be home now."

The two men standing behind the Elder bow their heads. The Elder sorrowfully shakes his head. "I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news, son. But... Your mother... She's gone. I'm sorry."

Inigo mistaken what the Elder means. "Huh? Gone where? Where did Mother go, Elder? I'll go there."

"No son... What I mean is... Your mother is dead."

The news shocks Inigo. "D-Dead? B-But that can't be! Mother can't be dead! She can fight those bandits without getting hurt!"

The Elder never bothered to correct Inigo. "We know. If she haven't helped, most of the villagers will be dead. But we never saw it coming. A bandit shot her with an arrow and it hits her heart."

_'To kill instantly, you pierce the head and heart.'_ Inigo remembers what Mother taught him. His mother is hit in the heart, that means she died instantly. Still, Inigo denies the truth. "NO! You lie! She can't be dead! She's fast! She can dodge! She can't be easily hit by an arrow!" he angrily shouts at the three adults. When the adults stay silent, Inigo bursts into tears.

The adults give Inigo some time before the Elder gently puts a gnarled hand on Inigo's shoulder. "Come, son. We'll lead you to your mother." the Elder guides a crying Inigo back to the village.

...

Night came, the village is in mourning. The Elder leads Inigo to a small cottage where a small throng of sad people stands outside. Seeing the Elder and Inigo, they slowly parted to let them through.

The door closes behind the Elder and Inigo. Inside the room are three women and a female Elder. The women surrounds a table covered with white cloth. Beneath the cloth is a shape of an adult female. The female Elder comes near Inigo and guides him towards the table. She lets Inigo stand on a stool. The crying Inigo is looking down on the cloth with the shape of a head. The Elders squeeze his shoulder gently before signaling the women to pull down the cloth. The cloth is pulled down to reveal a head whom Inigo recognizes. It's his mother, Olivia.

Inigo sniffs, looking at his mother with stricken eyes. She looks so beautiful and peaceful, like she's only sleeping. "M-Mother..." he calls out softly. "Mother... You're just sleeping, right? Wake up, Mother... Let's go home... You have to teach me your final dance... Wake up, Mother... Please, wake up... Mother..." he hugs Olivia's shoulders and buries his head on her neck, never minding how cold she is.

"Mother! Mother! Why!? You can't be dead!" Inigo said between heart-wrenching sobs. "You can't be dead! Why!? Why did you leave!? Father's gone and now you!? Mother, please wake up! Mother! You can't leave me! Please don't leave me! Mother! MOTHER!"

Inigo continues to cry until he falls asleep. The adults have to pry his arms from his tight hold on Olivia, and carry him to a bed.


	6. Chapter 6

The road and flower fields are covered with snow. But the flowers of color deep blue and pink struggles to stay alive, peaking through the blanket of snow that covered them, watching a lone young man walking towards a house which is located away from an abandoned village.

Arriving at the house, the young man immediately goes to the backyard. In the backyard is a bed of flowers, the same deep blue and pink flowers in the flower fields, only covered with snow. At the end of the flower bed is a stone slab of rectangular size, with words etched on it. The young man in his late teens gives a charming smile at the grave.

"Hello, Mother. Your wonderful son, Inigo, is back." a snowflake drops on his nose. He wipes it off and looks up at the sky. "My, it's starting to snow." he looks at Olivia's grave. "Yesterday, it never snowed when I showed you my version of that last dance routine. You know, when you... Died."

He sniffs. "I still miss you, Mother... Anyway, have I told you that in another village, I saved some lasses from the clutches of evil men? Oh ho ho. You should've seen them flock over me like bees to flowers! They would've awarded me with kisses if it wasn't for my friends."

He looks up the sky again before returning his attention on Olivia's grave. "I think the snow's about to get thicker if I talk more about my adventures, although most of it are about killing Risen and protecting a village... And I think it'll take me a long time to see you again. Why? Because my friends and I have this crazy plan to defeat Grima. We're going to retrieve the gem stones and summon Naga."

Inigo grins. "Once we summoned Naga, we'll finally defeat Grima once and for all! And peace will finally reign. And the girls will feel safe!" he heartily laughs. "You know, since my friends are staying at Ferox Port and still looking for a ship that's willing to sail towards Valm, I asked them if I could have a week off. I'm glad they did. If not, I'm going to cry, which is so embarrassing! ... Ah, I remembered I already told you about this. Sorry."

He smiles sadly. "I'll be leaving after this." he grins again. "But I won't make our parting very sad. I'm going to show you how I improved the first dance you taught me. Remember that dance? It's the _Blade Dance_!"

He prepares his killing edge and poses a battle stance. "Now, Mother. Watch how Inigo fights and dances at the same time."

And in front of Olivia's grave, Inigo performed the Blade Dance with grace and power, with all his heart and soul.

* * *

><p><strong>In supports, Inigo's potential father died in the dark timeline when he was young. Anything else about their father and son bonding is unknown. With Olivia, he mentioned that it was she who taught him swordplay. He said that Olivia remains shy, but when it comes in defending him, she's brave. He also mentioned that when Olivia left and never came home, it means she died. Another is he keeps on dancing in front of her grave.<strong>

**That's a wrap, folks! I have difficulty on how to end the story but I think I did well. Also, I'm not sure if I should continue this, on which the story will go back to the past, before my favorite pair became a couple, before meeting their son. What do you think? **

**Hope you like and enjoy the story.**


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